Software
Mac users haven't been able to open applications this afternoon since the problem of the Apple verification server
Many Mac users indicated that their machines were running slower than normal on Thursday—including a number of Verge staff—with applications running poorly or not at all, along with other Apple support problems.
It seems that the issue is attributed to several users trying to update macOS Big Sur, which was officially launched today, which in turn seems to have crashed Apple's OCSP (Online Certificate Status Protocol) service—which is used for many key facets of macOS, including the authentication of digital certificates for both Apple and third-party Mac applications, as Ars Technica reports.
Hey Apple users:
— Jeff Johnson (@lapcatsoftware) November 12, 2020
If you're now experiencing hangs launching apps on the Mac, I figured out the problem using Little Snitch.
It's trustd connecting to https://t.co/FzIGwbGRan
Denying that connection fixes it, because OCSP is a soft failure.
(Disconnect internet also fixes.) pic.twitter.com/w9YciFltrb
Apple's status site states that the company has fixed a problem earlier today that could have stopped users from installing MacOS app updates, but it has not been verified that the Big Sur upgrade was the cause of the shutdown. The organization also documented problems with iMessage and full-blown Maps routing and navigation, as well as traffic monitoring, which may have been linked to OSCP failure.
Mac and iOS developer Panic claims corroborate the reports, mentioning that the downed service impaired Apple's Gatekeeper technology, which tests the authenticity of the applications as you attempt to install them. Panic also notes that the situation seems to have been fixed, although it is not known if matters have yet been entirely cleared up for everyone.
FYI, seems to be something going on with super sluggish app launching right now. It doesn’t seem to be just us. We are looking into it! https://t.co/RZduhcBwiX
— Panic (@panic) November 12, 2020
Apple did not respond immediately to a request for feedback
Image Credit: bbc.com
